Q:
Can you help? My children spotted a wasp flying
around in our bathroom tonight, I've never seen a wasp in
winter before and don't know where it came from, is this
unusual?
Mrs G.
A: Dear Mrs G.
I presume the
wasp was a rather large one - perhaps 2cm long, or a
bit more, and about 4 - 5mm rough diameter at the fat part
of the abdomen. And probably a dull yellow and
black. If so, then it was a queen wasp that had
awakened from hibernation. Then they tend to fly
fairly sluggishly, although this would get faster if / when
the insect warmed up.
Guessing that
all this fits, then it is not desperately unusual, but
certainly a bit early.
Queen wasps
often over-winter in houses. They hold on to the back
of a curtain with their jaws (or somewhere else a bit
tucked away), while they hibernate over the winter
period. (Perhaps for 6 months.) Then they would
naturally come out of hibernation in the spring, as the
temperature warmed up, and the days lengthen. I get
lots of them doing this in the loft of my house. They
can even hang onto the fold of a polythene
bag.
They can sting -
although this is probably unlikely if they are not fully
alert - semi conscious.
A huge proportion of queen wasps die over
winter, and it is believed that only about 0.1%, or
less, come through and generate colonies which produce
new queens the following year.
If you find her
again, when she lands on a surface, place an upturned glass
over her, then slide a piece of card underneath to enclose
her; then lift the glass + card + wasp up - and either
let her go outside, or pop it in the freezer to kill her
humanely. Leave her in the freezer for a few hours,
then take her out and have a good look at her with a
magnifying glass. Perhaps she could be used for a
Show & Tell session at school!